Marco Rubio stated that the United States and China have agreed that the Strait of Hormuz should not be militarized, following talks between leaders of both countries in Beijing.
In an interview with NBC News, Marco Rubio said: “The Chinese side said they are not in favor of militarizing the Strait of Hormuz and are not in favor of a taxation system, and that is our position as well.”
He added that while the United States is affected by global oil prices, many other countries face even greater economic pressure from disruptions in energy markets.
The discussions came after the war involving Iran delayed President Donald Trump’s planned trip to China by six weeks. China, a close partner of Iran, has criticized the military strikes launched by the United States and Israel on February 28 and has repeatedly called for diplomacy.
According to Rubio, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping also agreed that Iran should not develop nuclear weapons.
Rubio defended Trump’s stance regarding domestic economic pressures during negotiations with Iran, saying Tehran should not expect Washington to accept what he described as a “bad deal” because of political pressure at home.
The issue of Taiwan was also discussed during the meeting, remaining one of the most sensitive topics in US-China relations. According to Beijing’s account of the talks, Xi Jinping warned that tensions over Taiwan could damage bilateral ties and potentially lead to “clashes and even conflicts” if mishandled.
Rubio emphasized that US policy toward Taiwan has not changed across administrations and remains consistent. He also noted that American arms sales to Taiwan were not a central topic during the Trump–Xi discussions.
In December, the Trump administration approved an $11 billion weapons package for Taiwan, reportedly the largest ever approved, with another larger package potentially under preparation.
“From our perspective, any forced change to the current status quo would be bad for both countries,” Rubio said.
